The Goldfinch

by

Donna Tartt

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Goldfinch makes teaching easy.
Sacha is a criminal working in the art underworld who never appears in the novel directly; only those working for him actually feature. He steals The Goldfinch from Theo and hides it in his girlfriend’s apartment in Frankfurt along with countless other works of stolen art, which are eventually found when Boris calls in a tip.
Get the entire The Goldfinch LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Goldfinch PDF

Sacha Character Timeline in The Goldfinch

The timeline below shows where the character Sacha appears in The Goldfinch. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 4, Chapter 10: The Idiot
The Value of Art and Beauty Theme Icon
Friendship and Family Theme Icon
Immorality vs. Crime Theme Icon
Hope, Despair, and Addiction Theme Icon
...girlfriend Ulrika, who is also an addict, whenever he runs out of money. Horst’s friend Sacha was the one who messed up the transaction in which The Goldfinch was lost in... (full context)
The Value of Art and Beauty Theme Icon
Fabrication vs. Authenticity Theme Icon
Friendship and Family Theme Icon
Immorality vs. Crime Theme Icon
Hope, Despair, and Addiction Theme Icon
...with an ex-girlfriend and lost consciousness, causing her to almost call 911. Boris explains that Sacha is Ulrika’s brother; the two are very close, and Boris never imagined that Sacha would... (full context)
Part 5, Chapter 11: The Gentleman’s Canal
The Value of Art and Beauty Theme Icon
Friendship and Family Theme Icon
Immorality vs. Crime Theme Icon
...are here. He explains that he needs to sort the whole thing out himself because Sacha is Ulrika’s brother. Theo suggests that if Boris knows who has The Goldfinch, they should... (full context)
The Value of Art and Beauty Theme Icon
Friendship and Family Theme Icon
Immorality vs. Crime Theme Icon
...a “father” to Boris’ friend Cherry. Theo realizes that, considering he doesn’t know anything about Sacha and that Cherry is only a nickname, he wouldn’t personally be able to give the... (full context)
The Value of Art and Beauty Theme Icon
Fabrication vs. Authenticity Theme Icon
Friendship and Family Theme Icon
Immorality vs. Crime Theme Icon
Hope, Despair, and Addiction Theme Icon
Boris says that he was worried Sacha would be at the meeting, but luckily Sacha doesn’t want to be there in case... (full context)
Friendship and Family Theme Icon
Immorality vs. Crime Theme Icon
Hope, Despair, and Addiction Theme Icon
...a Range Rover and set off again. In the car, Boris, Victor, and Gyuri discuss Sacha’s drug habit, pointing out that any money he gets he immediately blows on heroin.  (full context)
The Value of Art and Beauty Theme Icon
Fabrication vs. Authenticity Theme Icon
Immorality vs. Crime Theme Icon
Hope, Despair, and Addiction Theme Icon
...without paying anything, and they decided to seize it. Joyfully, they joke about how angry Sacha is going to be when he finds out and how grateful they are to the... (full context)
Friendship and Family Theme Icon
Immorality vs. Crime Theme Icon
Hope, Despair, and Addiction Theme Icon
...the person in the kitchen, he didn’t listen. He explains that the young boy is Sacha’s boyfriend. Boris pushes Theo’s head under the faucet, and Theo balks at the freezing cold... (full context)
The Value of Art and Beauty Theme Icon
Friendship and Family Theme Icon
Immorality vs. Crime Theme Icon
Hope, Despair, and Addiction Theme Icon
...because they trust each other completely. He adds that they don’t have to worry about Sacha’s boyfriend handing them into the police, because he is an illegal immigrant. Theo points out... (full context)
Part 5, Chapter 12: The Rendezvous Point
The Value of Art and Beauty Theme Icon
Friendship and Family Theme Icon
Immorality vs. Crime Theme Icon
Hope, Despair, and Addiction Theme Icon
...to tell the Dutch police everything he knows, not only about Martin’s death but also Sacha, Horst, and The Goldfinch. He is determined not to be like Larry, “dodging an scheming... (full context)
The Value of Art and Beauty Theme Icon
Fabrication vs. Authenticity Theme Icon
Friendship and Family Theme Icon
Immorality vs. Crime Theme Icon
Hope, Despair, and Addiction Theme Icon
...suspected The Goldfinch was being held in an apartment belonging to an old girlfriend of Sacha’s in Frankfurt. He couldn’t remember the address, so he had to go the city himself... (full context)
The Value of Art and Beauty Theme Icon
Fabrication vs. Authenticity Theme Icon
Friendship and Family Theme Icon
Immorality vs. Crime Theme Icon
Hope, Despair, and Addiction Theme Icon
Boris explains that The Goldfinch wasn’t the only stolen artwork at Sacha’s apartment. There were many others there, all with their own rewards attached. Boris hopes that... (full context)